Rachel Maddow uncovers new threats on abortion clinics
By John Amato Thursday Jun 11, 2009 3:15pm
Violent rhetoric and the stalking of abortion clinics and the people who work there has gone way up since Dr. Tiller was murdered and people are getting very, very afraid. And the right wing zealots are actually wishing to buy Dr. Tiller's clinic to use as a rallying cry, I kid you not. These people have no shame.
Maddow: Mr. Troy Newman told “The Associated Press,” quote, “I would love to make an offer on that abortion clinic and some of the discussion that we are having.”
So, the official reaction of the super right-wing fringe to the assassination in its name, of its cause, is to make George Tiller‘s place of business a triumphant symbol for themselves, a symbol of their victory over the murdered doctor.
On Saturday, at the day George Tiller was buried, a man with ties to the radical anti-abortion group, the Army of God, threatened a voluntary escort at an abortion clinic in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This is according to a worker at the clinic.
This is a great segment by Maddow so I'll let her fill you in. I do believe law enforcement will step up to the plate, but please if you are being threatened--make sure the authorities know what's going on. And nothing is too small or too insignificant to report. Don't feel like you're "seeing things," if you feel threatened report it.
Transcript vi The Rachel Maddow Show:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should all (BLEEP) dies, (BLEEP) bomb that place, (BLEEP) (INAUDIBLE) (BLEEP) kill you.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
MADDOW: That‘s the sound of domestic terrorism, a voicemail left on a Texas abortion clinic‘s voicemail last month. Given the events today in Washington, D.C., and in Wichita, Kansas, at Dr. George Tiller‘s church two Sundays ago, it is, of course, bone chilling. Its aim is to intimidate the doctors and nurses and clinic workers and the people who are legally seeking medical services amid strident, sometimes lethal, sometimes merely ghoulish intimidation.
On Saturday, George Tiller was laid to rest. Yesterday, the Tiller family announced that the doctor‘s clinic in Wichita will close forever. And today, the president of the extreme anti-abortion group, Operation Rescue, said that his group wants to buy the Dr. Tiller‘s clinic in Kansas and move their headquarters into it.
Mr. Troy Newman told “The Associated Press,” quote, “I would love to make an offer on that abortion clinic and some of the discussion that we are having.”
So, the official reaction of the super right-wing fringe to the assassination in its name, of its cause, is to make George Tiller‘s place of business a triumphant symbol for themselves, a symbol of their victory over the murdered doctor.
On Saturday, at the day George Tiller was buried, a man with ties to the radical anti-abortion group, the Army of God, threatened a voluntary escort at an abortion clinic in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This is according to a worker at the clinic.
If you aren‘t already familiar with the Army of God, on their Web site right now, there is picture of Dr. George Tiller just moments after he was murdered under the headline, “The lives of innocent babies scheduled to be murdered by George Tiller are spared by the action of American hero, Scott Roeder. George Tiller, the baby killer, reaped what he sowed and is now in eternal hell.”
You can then scroll through the prisoners of Christ portion of their Web site and see mug shots and descriptions of murders and attempted murders and bombings—all celebrating the perpetrators.
The person accused of threatening the clinic in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday that‘s a prominent link on this Web site to his anti-abortion prisoner newsletter. His website says, quote, “Because I believe we should use every legitimate means, including force, in our attempt to protect those being tortured to death, I want to hear from people who have been forceful.”
And it is the same man who on Saturday allegedly walked up to a volunteer at the clinic in Allentown and said, “How do you prefer to die, by knife or by bullet?”
Joining us now is Jennifer Boulanger. She‘s executive director for the Allentown Women‘s Center and a member of the Abortion Care Network, a group of independent abortion clinics across the country.
Ms. Boulanger, thank you very much for joining us.
JENNIFER BOULANGER, ALLENTOWN WOMEN‘S CENTER EXEC. DIRECTOR: Thank you for inviting me.
MADDOW: Was what I just described there an accurate description of what happened at your clinic last week?
BOULANGER: Frighteningly, yes. Yes, and Mr. Dunkle pickets my home, the home of our physician and also the home of several doctors in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
MADDOW: Have you noticed a change recently in the amounts and the character of protests and threats that you have received in Allentown?
BOULANGER: Absolutely. We‘ve had malicious calls. Not a bomb threat but calls similar to the one you played in Texas. We‘ve had—we‘ve been targeted by a number of malicious calling events. We‘ve been targeted since the beginning of the year. I think abortion providers across the country have been targeted since Obama was inaugurated.
But now, since Dr. Tiller has been murdered, it‘s just—they feel even more empowered and we‘re seeing an anger that we‘ve never seen before..
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Don't tell me we can't track down the caller who left that message.
If the FBI doesn't catch that guy in 24 hours, how the ^&^$ can we find a terrorist not stupid enough to call the victim first??
WTF?
going to start using the words 'terror' 'terrorize' and 'terrorism'?
are you seriously telling it wouldnt have a serious impact when discussing people who call tiller supporters with death threats?
Maybe those Christians didn't have big enough signs, and they were actually supposed to say "God sent the killer to hell".
The Christian Mullahs and the Al-Qonservatives are America's new number 1 terrorist threat considering we have been hit multiple times from Unitarian church shootings, to Tiller to the Holocaust Museum since 911 whereas we have had no Al-Queda attacks since 911. Conservative domestic terrorists, the Al-Qonservatives, are doing Bin Laden's bidding by terrorizing and killing Americans for him. Bin Laden must be pleased with their work and that of their enablers on Fox News and hate radio.
Ironic, isn't it? We have troops over in Iraq and Afghanistan killing people who ostensibly "hate us for our freedoms", but here in AmeriKKKa,home grown American terrorists are hailed as "heroes" by the likes of Bill O, Glenn Beck, and the goddess only knows how many third tier NAZI wannabes who pollute the airwaves in the smaller markets across the country. What does scare me is that nobody in reining in O'Reilly, Beck, et al. These guys know damn well what they're saying and it's effect on the retards - oops, excuse me - the low information viewers of Fox, but they don't care. They take zero responsibility for any of this. What has to happen? Somebody has to barge into a clinic and gun down everybody right there on teevee, all the while proclaiming his undying devotion to O'Reilly, Beck, and the others who comprise that band of well paid but cowardly sociopaths?
So, these so-called Christians want to murder and break the laws of the land for their own cover-ups. Let's go back to 1950 and all of America's troubles will be over....BAN THE BIRTH CONTROL PILL!
That's where ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS COME FROM! Birth control brought on pornography, drugs, the family breaking up, infidelity and more. Let these perverted "killers" incest themselves and make them keep their babies(our ancestors always drowned the ill wanted ones, what's the difference?). These self-righteous mother fuckers have no clue "where they come from". They think it was all beauty all the time...stupid mormons! And the morons too........
Merlin
I love how right-wingers watch Ozzie & Harriet and Leave It To Beaver and act like that's how life is supposed to be. They can't distinguish fantasy from reality.
brought on pornography, drugs, infidelity.... What have you been smoking, so I can stay away from it. All of those have been around since damned near the dawn of time.
that you can't see that ezRock2 was being sarcastic. Also, there was a post on this blog about one of these insane groups targetting Planned Parenthood clinics because they give out birth control. This group specifcally mentioned the Pill and had this list containing "facts" saying the Pill is deadly to women.
Playboy was technically the first mass produced erotica although t and appeared in 1953, although the roots are ancient; the pill only became widely common in the 1960's and 70's (so you got the order criss-crossed), whereas drug use and infidelity has been around since time immemorial.
I saw 'pornography' at the ruins of Pompeii in a trip to Italy. Actually, it was a penis which was a sign of a brothel, on a main street.
The clip in the main post is incomplete.
Here it is, complete: Growing Threat Against Women's Centers
Sadly, the portion omitted on this site is perhaps the more important. It highlights the failure of local AND federal law enforcement to enforce the FACE Act.
Local AND federal law enforcement are quoted as suggesting providers stay at home instead of attending Tiller Memorial Services, and that they should "get used to being a targetted profession" .. INSTEAD of arresting those currently engaged in acts of harassment and vandalism.
GET OFF YOUR ASS DOJ .. PROTECT THESE PEOPLE !!
My jaw almost dropped when I heard that the Allentown PD said to get used to being a targetted position. Would the Allentown PD take the same stance when they're being targetted?
I live in the Allentown area and am just appalled.
precisely.
Sounded like the kind of advice some police might give to a prostitute asking for protection.
Not that that would be justified either.
No. Protection is mandated by FACE and the Allentown PD is blowing the seriousness of these threats off. This clinic provides more than just abortion services. It's a women's clinic and they provide the whole realm of women's services, not just abortion. Perhaps I should write the Morning Call and bring to light how the local PD just doesn't see the importance of protecting those seeking LEGAL services.
the police and govt. are not obligated to protect any one. Just the community at large.
And LEO aren't a targeted position? Since when?
/\
What's next? I'm afraid to ask.
I can see how civil wars get started. These zealots are out of their freaking minds, and ready to murder anyone in the name of god.
Most of them are so freaking stupid they have no clue, nor will they ever have a chance of finding a clue. This is why stupidity is such a tragic disease.
The Republican Party came to power in the 1850's and 60's by pushing the Wedge Issue of the Day (slavery) to the boiling point, creating the American Civil War, and then picking up the pieces after the war was over.
This time they're on the wrong side of the issue, to be sure.
And clearly most of them would have been on the wrong side of the slavery issue then.
But it's the way they operate.
Common Ground? pffft .. don't need no common ground .. power is what they seek ..
Yes, that's how civil wars are started.
Angry people are so easily manipulated. There's plenty to be angry about in the US right now, but most people don't know why they are angry. Give them an easy target and all of their anger and frustration then has a relief. Tell them who is at fault, and they will scream and yell right into self-destruction.
We have a civil war here while our National Guardsmen are in Iraq to prevent a civil war there.
Cheney repeatedly warned they're be an upsurge in terrorist attacks on Americans now that Obama is President.
.. and every time Cheney and his cohorts said that I asked myself, "I wonder what they have planned?"
Dr. Carhart repeated his determination to open up a clinic in Wichita. Let's hope the Wichita PD don't ignore the terrorists again.
Armed escorts at abortion clinics might make a good start.
If I was involved in women's health in some form or another, I'd be applying for a CCL and my next purchase would be a .357 magnum.
I have noticed that we on the left too often allow the right wing to pick our words for us- I'm shocked Rachel would use the 'abortion clinic' term, which was concocted by the radical right. Next thing you know liberals will start calling torture 'enhanced interrogation'.
Another couple of terms are important too.
It's Anti-Choice, not pro-life. When you speak of the two groups, saying Pro-Choice and pro-life, implies that the Pro-Choice person is NOT for life. Also many Anti-Choicers are pro-death penalty and gung-ho pro warring.
And it's Pro-Choice, not pro-abortion. Pro-choicers aren't for abortion, they're for the right to choose medical treatment and the maintenance of the privacy between a patient and a dr, which has been further enhanced with the enactment of the HIPAA rules.
We have a right to seek treatment, and to have confidentiality with our doctors.
Thank you, miss_kitty.
plaque commemorating the bombing of the King David Hotel, with Benjamin Netanyahu. Not much different if Christians do the same thing with abortion clinics.
And nutcases.
republicanism is a mental illness!
These are not abortionists, they are OB-GYN doctors who perform abortions. These are not abortion clinics. They are women's health clinics. We need to take back the language the terrorists have imposed on the subject. They are not pro-life, they are anti-women. These are terrorists and we need to repeat that as loud and long as necessary to make that point.
I call it intelligence" -- Malcolm X
It makes me so sad to think that it's so close to being time to shoot back at them...
It's way past time people shot back.
ALL CHRISTIANS should be BRANDED TERRORIST. SO every time one of these MURDERS claims he she is a christian I shall now call them a TERRORIST and a ENEMY of America.
Now they can renounce the acts and publicty or be called terrorist
Are faux Christians. I know many Christians that find these terrorists repugnant and despicable, I wouldn't want to lump them all together.
Operation Rescue is a terrorist organization.
Army of God is a terrorist organization.
But I wouldn't go as far as to say Christianity itself is a terrorist movement.
..think about that?
It's sad that law enforcement ain't doing jack shit about these terrorists, with that the only conclusion I can think of is for those providing women's health services to arm themselves and take some firearms training courses. It's looking more and more like they're going to have to take their safety in their own hands, what else are they going to do? Continue to badger law enforcement agencies that just don't care, even as the terrorists grow more and more brazen?
I mean really, they are willing to bring violence even into their own houses of worship for the "Prince of Peace." Roeder didn't even have the decency to wait till Dr. Tiller was out of church before carrying out his assassination. These terrorists will stop at nothing to get their point across, and if law enforcement won't do their job, then the only other recourse is to take steps to defend themselves.
The police telling them to get used to being a targeted group would be like if Bush, the week after 9-11 told us "um, well, my fellow Americans, we're just going have to get used to being the targets of terrorists."
Even as a guy I'm pretty worried about this, I've got some close female friends who are sexually active. They're not careless or stupid, but no birth control method is 100%. So it's pretty unsettling to think that if they show up on the wrong day they could get shot, bombed or beaten.
When is Obama gonna' get serious with his people at the FBI, etc. to take these blatant threats seriously? It happened on his "watch". Much like the 911 attacks happened after some notice during Bush's watch. I can't believe that with the notices that were given to law enforcement/FBI about Tiller's killers actions beforehand, no action was taken to question/arrest him.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...
A Suspect's Long History of Hate, and Signs of Strain
Washington Post 6/11/09
James W. von Brunn was growing despondent.
John de Nugent, an acquaintance who describes himself as a white separatist, noticed the change when they last spoke two weeks ago.
"He said his Social Security had been cut and that he was barely making it," de Nugent said. "He felt it was the direct result of someone in Washington looking at his Web site."
Todd Blodgett, a former Reagan White House aide who later worked with several extremist groups, met regularly with von Brunn in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Blodgett was part-owner of Resistance Records, which distributed music by white racist groups, and worked for Willis Carto, the founder of Liberty Lobby, a radical right group.
De Nugent called von Brunn a genius but described the shooting as the act of "a loner and a hothead."
"The responsible white separatist community condemns this." "It
makes us look bad."
Equally concerned about “looking bad,” Troy Newman, director of “Operation Rescue” has been outspoken in condemning Tiller’s killer. He writes: “We deplore the criminal actions with which Mr. Roeder is accused."
Troy further writes “The pro-life ethic is to value all human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Operation Rescue has diligently and successfully worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see to it that abortionists around the nation are brought to justice. Without due process, there can be no justice.”
Dan Holman, with whose “Army of God” Scott Roeder was also associated, disagrees: “Whether the actions be “criminal” or not depends on the legal code one embraces. In God’s economy using force in defending the innocent is not ‘criminal’.” “The opposite of Troy’s statement is true. Tiller’s violent death is justice as the American legal system fails to defend the pre-born. Notice Newman and Pavone agree ‘the pro-life ethic is to value ALL human life’ (emphasis mine). Is Operation Rescue also about rescuing baby’s murderers?” http://www.armyofgod.com/DanHolmanProLifeHere...
From the AOG website: “The lives of innocent babies scheduled to be murdered by George Tiller are spared by the action of American hero Scott Roeder.”
Randy Sly, in Catholic Online writes, "Pro-abortion voices, however, used the (assassination) to venerate the work of the Wichita abortionist, while portraying those who stand for life as an extremist and violent group. Unfortunately, these detractors had a lot they could use in their assaults. For example, many news outlets were quick to report the antics of the extremist group out of Topeka Kansas, led by Fred Phelps, who showed up at a vigil in Tiller’s honor with signs praising his murder and mocking the mourners." http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id...
It should be noted that these groups are universally homophobic. Not only ("God hates fags!") Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church family, but Wichita's Sprint One Church defrocked pastor Mark Holick, who each enthusiastically celebrated Tiller's assassination. Newman is also aggressively pro-war, and used his large Operation Rescue "Truth Truck" to repeatedly block a peace march from Bethel College during the runup to Bush's invasion of Iraq.
These psycho's are not religious. They are just using the abortion issue for either pure political reasons or are just psycho and use abortion as their rallying cry.
Anyone who supposively believes in the sanctaty of life does not act this way.
Anti-abortion activities are almost always hypocrits. "Jesus" would not sanction violence in any form.
Where were these supposive religious nuts protesting the wars? The slaughter of innocent Iraqi women and children?
Most of the anti-abortion extremists could not care less about "life". I bet if they had a daughter or were in a situation that they truely needed an abortion, they would do it themselves.
A bunch of psycho hypocrits. We should put as many of them in jail as possible.
They ARE indeed religious.
And that religious zealotry IS what makes them dangerous.
Why aren't these peopel being charged under the terrorism laws. The murderer of Dr. Tiller, the shooter in the UU church last year, Pastor Drake, the telephone caller in this article. It is clear that they are trying to intimidate and coerce people into modifiying and changing their behavior to accomodate these nut cases beliefs. Isn't that what is defined as terrorism under the law. If prosecutors are using the Patriot Act etc to harass teen agers, why aren't these guys treated like the doemestic terrorists that they are, Boogles the mind
It's truely scarey to think how many more unhinged Right Wing-Nuts will terrorize and murder again.
Hell is a place that ONLY lives in the minds of these dumb-ass christianists. Along with their heaven.
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